Google’s platform extends its reach with Android@Home

The first Android smartphone came in 2008. Then in 2010, the platform appeared …

The accessory developer kit handed out to developers at Google's I/O conference

SAN FRANCISCO—The first Android smartphone came in 2008. Then in 2010, the platform appeared on tablets. Now, Android wants to move into your home.

At its I/O developer conference on Tuesday, Google showed a sneak preview of its Android@Home project, which will extend the Android platform into household objects. That means some day in the future, you could control home appliances—your dishwasher, the heating system, the lights in your house—using your Android device as a remote control.

“Think of your phone as the nucleus that this all started with,” said Google engineering director Joe Britt in an interview. “We’re opening the platform up to everyone to do whatever they can imagine.”

Little detail was given, but Google explains it has essentially created a framework to control wireless communication between objects in your house. During a keynote presentation, Britt demonstrated this wireless communication using a Motorola Xoom tablet to control stage lights created by Google’s first officially announced partner, Lighting Science.

For Google, the Android@Home project is a first step into “the internet of things,” a term used to describe the growing trend of manufacturers producing intelligent, connected objects. Major tech companies like ARM Holdings and Hewlett-Packard have long since been involved in this space, from providing cheap microcontrollers and toolkits to hobbyists and engineers, to creating wireless sensor systems that measure seismic activity. In essence, projects like these ultimately aim to turn “dumb” or unconnected objects into “smart” (connected) ones.

“We want to think of every appliance in your home as a potential I/O device,” Britt said during the keynote presentation.

But Google says Android@Home cuts some of the expenses often associated with existing wireless monitoring systems. And according to Google engineering director of hardware Matt Hershenson, the project will open up possibilities of creating smart appliances to developers that otherwise wouldn’t have the chance.

In addition to the Android@Home preview, Google also debuted Android Open Accessory support. This allows external hardware, like a mouse or an XBox controller, to interact with your Android-powered device. If you want to attach an accessory that requires an app in order to function, you’ll be directed to the Android Market to download the app. USB support is currently available, and Bluetooth support is expected to come in the future.

Google's Arduino hardware can be found inside of the Accessory Developer Kit, handed out to attendees of its I/O conference

Google

Android Open Accessory is built in to Android 3.1 “Honeycomb"—which was released to Xoom tablet owners this morning—as well as Android 2.3.4 “Gingerbread.”

To spur the development of further peripherals able to interact with Android devices, Google handed out hundreds of Accessory Developer Kits (ADKs), which included hardware based on the highly popular Arduino platform.

The Arduino hardware platform is an ideal choice for Google’s extension of Android into physical computing. It’s very popular in the open-source hardware modification community due to its relative inexpensiveness, ease of use for beginners, and most importantly, its freely available software tools.

Tuesday’s announcements hint at Google’s larger vision for the platform: to spread Android’s reach across myriad devices and multiple industries.

“As an open platform,” said Google director of product management Hugo Barra, “Android was always meant to go well beyond the mobile phone.”

Or perhaps Android chief Andy Rubin said it best In a press conference on Tuesday: “Everything should be Android-ified.”